Baby, Take it Off! is Chas Smith’s column. “Surfing is so totally awesome sexy!” says Chas.
Welcome, Nike!
Totally welcome! It’s great to see you, hot little thing. You sensual publicly traded darling.
Nike, with other non-endemic corporations, has been milling about our surf industry for some time now. It signed the young and fabulous Kolohe Andino a few years-ish back and it signed the slightly older but just as fabulous Julian Wilson, like, yesterday. And, again, welcome!
Some of surfing’s active online community really don’t like the intrusion. They have simply had enough. “This isn’t a reflection of ME anymore!” they scream from their mothers’ basements as they forcefully dip Domino’s buffalo wings into ranch dressing. “I hate this commercialization of MY pastime! Nike doesn’t tap the source!” (As they write certified letters of complaint to the Home Shopping Network and dream about retirement). But Nike is such a glorious and welcome fit.
A diversified and competitive marketplace always equals a better product. Nike brings billions of dollars plus scientists plus Chinese manufacturing plus Mars Blackmon plus billions of dollars straight into our world. They’ll make better things. And they’ll make Quiksilver et. al. make better things too. Win win for me! Win win for you (if you don’t live in mother’s basement) (If you aren’t completely atrophied) (If you aren’t posting your tres radical opinions underneath online articles).
Competition in the marketplace is the very breath of innovation and innovation is fun! Innovation led to the modern thruster, to the wetsuit, to slob grabs, to skinnier jeans. Innovation will lead to a little bit wider but better cut jeans (super skinny is out out out!). It will lead to new materials/processes/ideas that make riding a wave even more pleasurable. Innovation. Yeah!
Also, Nike brings a fresh perspective. As a company, she wasn’t born from surf like the rest of our noble brands. She born from track ‘n field, which ain’t so cool but that’s ok. Nike has proven over time, and through numerous sporting world conquests, to have a knack for awesome. I remember the first pair of Air Jordans I bought. Wow! That leather! Those see-through air pockets! Wow wow! Not being genetically attached to certain inalienable surfer rights gives Nike the ability to push further. To question the whys and wherefores. To innovate! Sacred cows be damned! Yeah! Wow! I trust Nike to bring the wow to surfing. And I hope under the Nike moniker, not the misguided 6.0 one. I am not a fan of fluoro orange.
Also also, in retaliation for Nike’s definite and full entrance in our surf world, some fresh Newport Beach nouveau punk children will form up an exciting brand and make the best outfits ever. Or Lost will rediscover its former glory and make the best contra campaign ever. Win win win win win!
So bienvenue, you goddess of victory. You divine and sultry pillar of American might. Welcome and may your run be long and profitable.
Allez au diable vous les communistes et les croyants dans l’égalitarisme internet!
Btw, I write these words from the St. Regis, San Francisco. Modern, blonde, supple, luxurious. My gorgeous woman is here watching a BBC James Bond marathon. I am drinking the dirtiest martini. San Francisco…what a town! What a life! —Chas Smith
Related Posts
Surf Industry Hate is Not Awesome
posted by Chas Smith / Blogs, Editorial / December 30, 2010
It is quite trendy to really loathe the surf industry. Lame!
no quik sticker on his board. huge ass nike6 sticker tho…$$$$$
stoked for the kid why not. surfs good so glad someone is there to over pay him and let him do what he does. who really cares about sponsorships anyway? only people who care are the same sheep who follow the trend and these companies are trying to trick. sorry 14 year old kid buy all the Quik, Billabong or Volcom all you want but you will still suck like yourself.
not to pump innersection because i think thats a load of crap to an extend by taylor not having to work hard and giving a few bucks to the people who make the movie and do all the hard work while he just takes the big $. but you can see guys who rip just as hard as Julian and Dane who are not sponsored or should be. so for all the fags that will get mad about Julian surfing for Nike, oh well. you can also get mad at Parko, Mick, Kelly and others because they are in it for the paycheck. heck its why i work i need to pay for my overpriced CI’s and Lost boards.
…surfing….lets all jump in the water or start another company. maybe another rvca..ummm?
What would Adam Durrant do?
Chas you suck at writing, you suck at surfing, you are not
funny, you are a washed up, over the hill, wannabe good at
something but I don’t know what, eight foot tall loser. So why do
you keep sucking your own dick??????
All I want to say is, Nike sux!
Love the ode to all the iconic Nike ads! Hopefully we will
see JW rise to Kelly status in our sport as every generation and
sport needs a Jordan!
whoever wrote this is suckin nikes dick. how much did nike pay u for this article? kolohe andino and julian wilson are fags anyway. surfing is trendy as hell nowadays. target and nike? fuckin lame.
kind of weird to be quoted especially selectively. personally i would have chosen ‘the mainstream comes to us’ but whatever…
remains to be seen if they can make a decent pair of surf shoes but that’s the gullible publics’ problem I guess. it’s always interesting to me how people seem to take things at face value, that’s something you wouldn’t expect from surfers. to me surfing was always about looking at things from a new angle even if that just made you appreciate the old way of doing things more. my point is… all well and good, but in terms of what motivates most people about wave riding, a big so what.
french doesn’t make what you have to say any less stupid, any more than it makes people who object to you communist. isn’t it interesting that you define capitalism in terms of what appeals to you most, a ‘particularly robust parasite’. As if by hiding behind that definition you could escape the recognition that it applies to you. in general i think capitalism creates wealth and provides real jobs, i say in general because unfortunately it also does play host to some invertebrates like you.
P.S. they don’t have the home shopping network over here goof-ball but you’d be great on infomercials i’m sure
People haven’t been as reluctant to embrace this trend as Chas presumes…(projecting?)
Chas makes a great point. Let’s toast to the fact that helpless humans on the other side of the world will be exploited, overworked and underpaid, so that we may have stretchier boardshorts. Let’s embrace the spirit of innovation knowing how much tighter our cutbacks will be, and the spray will be thrown far enough to drown any chance of factory workers leading anything but a baneful existence manufacturing the check mark.
Barry, what are “surf shoes?” You mean booties?
I wonder if Surfing pays chas more than UCLA did…? Is there a surf-writer’s union he could join?
…surely a year or two ago, Chas woulda been writing this sorta shit off in favor of his Doce Gabana purses or high-heels or whatever. Now, weee, Nike so tres cool!! Some kids breastfeed til they’re 8 years old. Some get a late start. Welcome to the teet mr. smith.
well said Zeke…it’s trendy to be indie, it’s trendy to be
nike, it’s trendy to be retro…what is not trendy? Sure, Nike is
going to be bringing money into the sport that will help advance
certain aspects of the sport…but the key to that is CERTAIN
aspects. Aka, Nike will hand out big dough to the top people that
the other surf companies can’t match. Those companies will soon
become nothing or be bought by Nike (i.e. Hurley). Also, did anyone
take the time to notice that after Nike did started this beautiful
little tirade of theirs more pros began to lose sponsors. Sure you
could chalk that up to the recession, but why are 30% of the women
on the world tour without a major sponsor? Because Nike picked the
3 they wanted gave them a lot of cash (much less than the men) and
said good bye to the rest…who have no money. The point is
this…the monopolies in the surf industry are more than prevalent
and are only getting stronger and making the surf world more of a
“who’s who party” than the community it once was. The small brands
can’t start even though they make their products with good
materials in factories where the workers are given living wages and
not beat regularly (which is not the case with any of the big name
companies). Nike sucks…and the surf industry and community are
suffering because of it.
http://shakaleaks.wordpress.com/2011/01/06/michael-jordan-derek-jeter-venus-williams-and-julian-wilson/
taylor, i guess i meant shoes that are styled in the same
way as shoes from major surf brands such as ripcurl, billabong etc.
i don’t know if that’s the preferred nomenclature, you’ll have to
forgive me if not. to be fair the ones julian has on in the ad look
alright to me.
Oh, how I adore Chas’ words.
Thanks for fillin us in on the Reaganomics speech, Chas.
First, the reason Quick is in the position it is in is not just
because of “innovation” back in the late 80′s and early 90′s, but
because they off-priced brands by manufacturing in places that
allowed slave labor back when other “more core” brands were
foolishly trying to pay a living wage to folks making their shorts.
That is why their shorts were “cheaper”. On top of that, they stole
design, and made sure they bought material up from the material
manufacturers that were supplying smaller companies so that they
could not manufacture their goods. Anyone who was around in the
garment industry during that time knows we lost over 1 million jobs
here in the states in less than 5 years. So if that is more core in
anyone’s book, then whatever?! Fact is this is an industry that got
started by guys selling other stuff on the side, and at some point
it all came together into this amalgam of corporate structure that
we see now. To chastise one over the other is a ridiculous argument
at this point, and anyone who was around and got trounced by some
of these core companies that are gonna get trounced, have a smile
on their face, just like me. And, really, Chas, you need to take
economics before you begin to share your opinion. Can’t wait to see
who get’s sold down the river for the next version of “hard-core
surf”.
Bla Bla Bla, what do you guys think about the fitness
induresty?
Barry and the rest of the hate brigade get the biggest
hard-ons ever for Chas. He plays them like a snare drum and its
just so funny to sit back and watch. Barry, keep slinging, you
silly little mutt.
You say that Nike will bring innovation to surfing? How
long have they owned Hurley and they’re wetsuits suck! There’ll be
no innovation from Nike only immitation of what the other brands
did 2 years ago…
there’s no fool like a chas fool. first of all dummy, if
he’s just playing a snare drum why do you care what i think? you
must be one of the two people on this site that actually enjoy his
garbage, that’s including that nick character of course. that means
you’re either chas or that old git. sure i know chas could care
less, he’s just a hired gun for guys like nick. if we’re talking
about hate then chas is your mercenary of choice. he spews for all
comers. basically he only has 3 points in every editorial. 1) Isn’t
consumerism sexy 2) Aren’t you the losers if you don’t jerk off in
unison with me. 3) Isn’t it super sexy being Chas (thereby
emphasizing point 2) you can replace point 1 with fascism, racism,
capitalism, communism, cannibalism, what have you… it’s all the
same to chas. almost everybody with two brain cells is on to you
chas, but there’s always the off chance that somebody might get the
impression you actually know what you’re talking about or mean what
you say. and you have this platform, a magazine that represents us
in the minds of some people, so that keeps me coming back and it
may for some time.
Perhaps this is all just so much pissing in the wind.
Who really reads this anyway?
It’s easy to rip Chas, to rip the failings of the industry. Blame is the easiest game in the world to play.
Chas,
I can appreciate your position. You have a job that suits your lifestyle and that keeps you immersed in something you are passionate about. That’s enviable as few are as fortunate.
Having surfed most of my life I would certainly love to be paid well enough in a profession that keeps me in the mix of my passions. It’s not easy and no matter what you do some concessions must be made.
However, there is a trend in the surf world that is becoming increasingly negative for the majority of people who surf simply because they love it, regardless of the industry and its plotted course. These are the people that the industry has forsaken and that is not a good thing for anyone for the simple fact that they are precisely the people the industry should be opening up to, not betraying. These are the people who comprise the bulk of the surf community worldwide and selling them out to pander to a transient and entitlement-minded public is not a plus. It will only harm everyone – industry included – in the long run.
You claim that Surfing’s target audience is children yet deny any responsibility to provide heathy guiding principles for the emerging youth. Instead the publication you work for makes it seem “cool” to be a shameless corporate shill.
Bad Pool.
You know you can elevate your game. So can the publication.
Don’t be so willing to become surfing’s version of the Jüdischer Ordnungsdienst.
There is a better way
Nike = Lame
talking shit on the internet = lame
“One of the only constants in life is change” Deal with it,
stop being stupid narrow minded humansbeans stuck in one way of
living, thinking and existing. The only thing core about surfing is
the the fact that we are able to do it!! The experience of
paddeling out and catching a wave that makes you feel and think
about nothing else but that moment and experience is whats core. It
does not matter what nike does, that feeling/experience will never
change for the true core surfer! Now shut up and go surf!
Jeff got nothing but respect for you but you are wasting
your time with chas, i promise you that my friend. it’s just lucky
for us he is too stupid to cover his tracks, be careful what you
ask for you, you may get it. It’s getting ugly i know but as for
the attention this is getting, I know chas reads it and besides the
reasons i outlined in my previous post which i admit is not
especially readable, that’s enough for me. just like to quote from
one of surfing’s true iconoclasts the great Mickey Dora. you might
not agree with everything he had to say or did, but the guy had
vision. “For me, I cannot live in the northern hemisphere. I must
live back, back in time, where all this sea life, all the oysters,
shellfish, crustaceans, everything’s a part of the smell,
everything must come into the focus of the whole situation. If you
don’t understand this, you’re only a pretender, because the whole
magnificence of riding waves is THAT living being–that
communication between you and the whole existence of reality on
this planet.”
Mik, really? Blah, blah?! What do we think of the fitness
industry? Well, since it first started advertising, the obecesity
rate has risen to 60% and is expected to peak at 80% in two years.
For all the money spent on advertising shoes and all the other
crap, we got fat. For all the growth in surfing, what did we get?
How many more surfers are employed with this growth? And how many
more kooks are acting like tough guys at your local spot after you
paid your dues? I don’t get your point, or anyone else, including
Biolo’s, claiming they are core. No such thing anymore, unless you
surf the Ave or Pipe, I suppose.
Chas, now you got my FULL attention.. i am sure that it was pretty easy to get permission to use that photo of Mars Blackmon, given that there is most likely some sort of incentive that is fueling this post. Just out of curiosity what Jordans were your 1st pair? judging by how old you look, i am guessing a flake pair of 3s or 4s that you picked up from a swap meet. Am i correct? Oh please, enlighten us on the realm of the sneakers, i cant wait.
Nike made quite an impression in the skate industry but not after a failed attempt with Savier, (which is surprising given that they hired the head of the soccer dept to run the new skateboard branch). After the Savier dump, the Nike Skate Experiment round 2 lead to SB and yes, the ads were impressive and even won awards, but they didn’t sell any more shoes to the core skaters? Why? Core skaters didnt like the shoes. The only thing that launched SB was the Sneakerheads, and the majority of them… didnt skate. (fyi… sneakerheads were after the Dunk, which was a basketball inspired shoe and which inspired the Jordan 1) and then the skate shops had to take in the tail to sell a shoe to a bunch of non – skaters. how you ask, did they take in the tail? simple, in order to carry the Dunk, the only SB shoe sought after by the non – skating SneakerHeads and the ones with the $$$, you had to carry the entire SB line, full size runs, no questions asked. That is why you can find endless supplies of clearance SBs at any “core” shop. As for 6.0, that was 1st invented so they could put shoes into the non-core shops; PacSurf, Zumiez, Tillys, etc. Again, shops with the core surfer/skater in mind? Right? Unfortunately Nike hides behind 6.0 moniker and had to buy a surf company to make a “realistic” push in the surf industry. The surf industry is kinda like the BBB in that sense, if you pay the fees you get the grade. Thus far all we got from nike, by way of “product advancements”, is an over priced pair of Hurly trunks with Nike Firewire in them. Then they had Rob “uber hippy/organic” Machado promote them? What a mess… but you knew all this because you once owned a pair of Air Jordans.
“A diversified and competitive marketplace always equals a better product” – Chas.
Not true in all cases.
Who really gets the better product? My opinion is that the surf industry is supported by non-surfers. I know that when i am looking for a new pair of Billabong trunks, i usually head to Nordstrom, Rip Curl? They have a sick selection of Rip Curl trunks at Costco. Lets take a poll;
How many people reading this have bought a pair of boardshorts/trunks that cost more than $70?
How many people bought a battery powered heated Quiksilver under-the-wetsuit warmer vest? (I have talked to several shops that cant sell those thing at cost)
anybody? anybody?
This is my point, as a mediocre surfer, i would rather by a $30 pair of trunks and apply that other $40 to a new surfing board. (i can only imagine how the core surfers feel about this.) Even the most advanced and great products are soon tapped out, trunks, really all they do is cover our privates and really all we are doing is making them is brighter. perhaps you take the battery from the super vest and use them to illuminate the trunks? the marketing campaigns will not get any better, for the same reason that writing in this magazine is not getting better, either they hire a “bro” or a marketing/journalism intern from SBCC (without any pay). I am a supporter of a free market 100% and welcome Nike with open arms, but let’s be real and call a spade a spade, they have no desire to better our industry or culture, they just want their piece of the pie.
For the record, i prefer Blue Cheese on my Wings.
fyi… that Julian commercial reminds of an old Bo Jackson commercial.
nice points yeah guy but if if chas reads all of that
without blowing a brain fuse i’ll have blue cheese on my wings
too…
man, it must feel so good to have so many people hate you
so much. feel good about your life’s work, do you?
I don’t get it, when did the rabbit even think of having
cheese at all? Was it the mouse that stole the orange from the
dresser? Or was it all just the goddamn cat?
dunno, we dance around in a circle and suppose but the truth lies inside and knows…
Why is it so hard for virtually everyone here to offer something constructive?
While I certainly wouldn’t confine anyone to the “if you don’t have anything nice to say…” bologna I definitely adhere to the “if you can’t offer a viable solution…” you probably should just STFU.
The banter here more effectively makes Chas some kind of martyr, which he technically isn’t.
It takes something special to commit to a turn, the same applies to a quality debate.
These forums too often sound like a bunch of bitchy five year olds with an expanded vocabulary. Try maturity… for a change.
“You have two sphincters. Shame you’re better at talking out of the one between your thighs than the one under your nose.”
Is that the kind of mature constructive debate you’re talking about Jeff? Or is that the comment of a five year old who just found out his kite won’t fly? You should know because I’m directly quoting your response to Nick in Chas’ previous editorial ‘Surf Industry Hate is Not Awesome’. Don’t you know when a guy like Nick asks you for ideas to boost circulation and all you can respond with is ‘duh, we’ll give them etiquette’ he smiles at you with a big shark tooth grin and says, ‘You’re fired’. Chas already technically fired guys like you in ‘the core is dead’ editorial but you still sit tapping away on your keyboard thinking he didn’t mean you. Worse you keep begging him to return to a responsible approach while he’s calling security to get your ass thrown out of the building. You can do that if you want but don’t talk down anybody else in blog like some wise old grandfather figure with a dirty mouth.
I did follow that shot with constructive feedback,
something that is missing from every single other response. And
laugh at the etiquette concept all you want but the fact remains
that lineups that have it are a pleasure, those without are a bum
trip. The latter are proliferating. We all know what the rules are
and it is the responsibility of the industry and the more
experienced surfers to pass it on. BTW, I don’t know many five year
olds with a sense of humor that refined. Hell, I don’t know many
adults that demonstrate a maturity level beyond most five year
olds. Any ideas Barry? Or is anarchy your thing?
yeah jeff, the sphincter jokes are highly refined
,
unfortunately so is the crap you’re talking. i’m not going to argue
nick’s case for him, suffice to say kids will not be running out to
buy the latest issue of surfing because of the super cool article
on wave priority. get a clue and we can start from there.
Perhaps you should take a class on the evolution of comedy. You’d be surprised.
From Greek classics to Shakespeare to Carlin the rectum is a common reference in the highest comic circles. It’s how you say it that matters. Like everything else.
Balance wit with something constructive, if you can.
you guys should just quit flirting and blow each other already. Stop making yourselves look dumb. Every time Chas Smith posts something, it turns into a weird back and forth about something totally unrelated by two dummies who wouldn’t even look at each other funny in real life.
am, this blog has been dead for days so don’t worry about it, mook.
jeff, your comic rectum circles are your own business, ok.
Next you’re going to be telling me size doesn’t matter it’s how you use it. the most constructive thing for you to do, is to get your head out of your ass and take a look around.
Tres sexy is starting to sound more like a threesome between am, Jeff and Barry
sorry there’s no room for you tres
, i know this is chas’ blog but we have to have some standards…
I got a wetsuit below wholesale price from ripcurl. It
should last me a few years at least. It has a life time of free
repairs. It’s good to be slightly connected. I got a surfboard from
my local shaper. It cost me a 3rd less than any pop out brand name
one in a surfshop. It will last me 2years, more if I care for it. I
got a coastline of ocean. I’m going surfing… Nike and all the
industry crap concerns me not, kooks will keep filing into Torquay
for the summer and disappear when the going gets cold. I’ve still
got 300 odd km’s to surf along. Professional surfing will get
richer. And fancier. I’m never gonna surf like they do. It’s fun to
watch, although nothing to get worked up over. I may get a pair of
boardies every summer. The surf industry may get $100 out of me for
the year. Maybe more if I want a fancy new tee or skinny pair of
jeans (maybe I should invest in slightly wider and better fitting
pair this year). I will get countless waves for the year. For the
price I pay, I’m very happy with that…. Chas writes an article
about the inclusion of Nike into the surfing world. He says he
likes it. His article has the second most comments on the Surfing
Mag homepage. Most are voicing indignation at either the inclusion
of a new surfing superpower, the current state surfing superpowers,
chas’s writing or are simply sledging each other. Chas’s article
has done its job, It’s caused debate. It’s fun to read, although
nothing to get worked up over. I notice the most commented article
on the homepage is for a free nixon watch. I know Nixon is owned by
Billabong. I realise that many people condeming and complaining
about the surfing superpowers likely scrambled to score this
freebie. I come to the following conclusions: 1. I may not agree
with them all the time but I do like Chas’s articles. 2. People
will buy Nike. 3. People will still buy RipaQuikBong and the
smattering of companies they own. 4. Many people will probably
become richer because of Nikes entrance. 5. Americans are moronic.
6. Forum commenters are moronic. 7. Surfers are moronic 8. I
dislike moronic American Surf Forum Commentators. 9. I have a
surfboard, wetsuit and nearby waves. I am sitting on this. I am
bothering to voice my opinions. I am moronic.
@Jeff – “And laugh at the etiquette concept all you want
but the fact remains that lineups that have it are a pleasure,
those without are a bum trip.” – Jeff “those without are a bum
trip.”. no pun intended, right?
“Listen, what’s the most horrible experience you can imagine? To me—it’s being left, unarmed, in a sealed cell (or lineup) with a drooling beast of prey or a maniac who’s had some disease that’s eaten his brain out (like half the surfers out there). You’d have nothing then but your voice—your voice and your thought. You’d scream to that creature why it should not touch you, you’d have the most eloquent words, the unanswerable words, you’d become the vessel of the absolute truth (that might be overstating things a bit). And you’d see living eyes watching you and you’d know that the thing can’t hear you, that it can’t be reached, not reached, not in any way, yet it’s breathing and moving there before you with a purpose of its own. That’s horror. Well, that’s what’s hanging over the [surfing] world, prowling somewhere through mankind, that same thing, something closed, mindless, utterly wanton, but something with an aim and a cunning of its own.”
Steven Mallory, The Fountainhead
Precisely what I hear ringing in my ears every time I have a moment of weakness and waste precious minutes thinking an intelligent debate could ever take place here.
“Later.”
Wow Sammy you’re right, your post really does prove it’s own point.
I always thought laziness and apathy went together but you proved me wrong dude. It took you almost 35 lines not only to repeat points other people have made better but to reinforce what people already knew – apathy is a state in which there is ‘nothing to get worked up over’. Thanks for relaying your contempt for the other people who participate in this blog, I know Chas shares that sentiment which is probably why you enjoy his articles so much. With standards that low it’s no wonder you are very comfortable with whatever the tide brings in. The rest of us I think are justifiably a bit worried though.
Sorry has anyone said they are unfazed by the inclusion of nike into the commercial surfing world, and that they can’t see it affecting their surfing? Musta missed that comment inbetween the barrages of semi literate hate being spewed out.
Anyway thats just the point old Bazza, you stay justifiably worried about it and I’ll keep being carefree, apathetic to the writings of a singular surf journalist or inclusion of new companies.
Take a guess who’ll have more fun in the water.
And after all, isn’t that what surfings all about
that’s the problem Sammy you miss a lot… “all well and
good, but in terms of what motivates most people about wave riding,
a big so what” – that’s from my post on this page… but I guess
with the overriding contempt you have for “surf forum commentators”
there’s no reason to read or understand what you are writing off. I
very much doubt somebody who posts on this blog telling everybody
what morons they are is very much fun to be with in the water and
I’m damn sure nobody reads Chas’ blog to get stoked about riding
waves. Actually come to think of it Sammy you are Chas aren’t you?
I didn’t realize at first because generally I don’t immediately
operate on the assumption that people are as pathetic as that. But
aren’t you a little too interested in the surf industry for a guy
who’s only concern is scoring a few uncrowded waves up and down the
coast? You can almost hear Chas breaking the market demographic
down. ‘The surf industry may get $100 out of this type of guy
annually’, ‘doesn’t buy a factory board goes to a shaper’, ‘more if
he buys a fancy tee maybe’. Typical core surfer scum right Chas?
How many people on this blog are positive about Chas let alone core
surfers? And the defense is typical Chas, ‘it’s generated the most
comments’, almost unanimously negative but there’s no such thing as
bad publicity right, Chas? Sure surfers may hate you in the same
way they hate politicians, taxes and oil spills but that doesn’t
matter because surfers aren’t the target demographic your articles
are designed to appeal to. The dead give away is the vitriol
Sammy/Chas aims at surfers. He really despises people that ride
waves for enjoyment. Well it’s a give away if you know that Chas
only sees surfers, especially core surfers as a dam holding back
the flow of cash that rightfully belongs to him and his cronies.
Why are surfers morons Chas? Well besides the wax between the ears
mainly because we’re not impressed by your lame attempts to herd us
into a brand dominated marketing fiasco like so many sheep that’s
why. And why are American surfers especially morons? Because
they’ve been at the epicenter of commercialism for probably longer
than any other group and are therefore the least impressed by Chas’
gimmicks and bs. I don’t mind that you’re a corporate pirate hooker
Chas. I don’t even mind that you hate surfing while enjoying the
party. What I mind is you getting up on your podium of ‘cool’ and
preaching to us because your ‘cool’ is as phony as scripting
support for yourself on your own blog.
Rightttt, problem is I’m not Chas, just some 20year old
surfer from Aus… But I am glad you looked so deep into my not
nearly as complex semi-rant. My “interest” in the surf industry is
that I live in Torquay, birthplace and home of Ripcurl and
Quiksilver and that I occassionally do some casual work for
Ripcurl. I’ve seen how it works from Claw and the top men in the
biz, to the designers, and managers for every section of the
business, down to packing the boxes in the warehouses. I never
claimed to be some fuck off over the top “core” surfer (you
Americans love that term). Simply unfazed by the development of the
industry. I simply work there to pay the rent on a place thats a
walk away from a nice uncrowded beach, plus there’s definately
worse enviroments for a young frothing surfer to work. Now onto
your Chas obsession; I think its not that hard to believe there are
people that are looking forward to, and are excited about, the
developments these companies are bringing to the sport and that
Chas is one of them. Look around the internet and there are plenty
of articles against it as well. Thing is everyone has there own
opinion on the inclusion of these companies, Chas is for it, uses
his article to advocate it and dresses his writing up with those
annoying little modern words just too piss the old stalewarts like
you off. Bravo I say, it causes negative debate, (but such is the
state of the world, that every 9-5 weekend warrior lets the rage
he’s suppressing in the real world out on the writer of that
grating surf article he reads online after getting home from a
shitty day at work.) At least Chas writes whats he believes and
backs it up with sound some reasoning. Try that sometime instead of
spewing out your hate filled conspiracy theory crap, (i.e Chas is
being payed off to promote. Anyone who disagrees with me is Chas.
yadayadayada). Fuck this shit anyway, I ain’t getting drawn into
some stupid shit slinging match with an online arsehole.